2 more tiger reserves soon in Uttarakhand

People being apprised of plan

With the Uttarakhand forest department focusing on tiger conservation, the State is soon to get two new tiger reserves, work towards which is under way. The Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary, which falls under the Terai Arc Landscape spanning across India and Nepal, and the Surai Range in the Terai East division of the Uttarakhand forest department are the two proposed tiger reserves.

“We [in the forest department] are currently undertaking a public consultation exercise to apprise people residing in the two areas [of the Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary and the Surai range] about the plan to get the areas notified as tiger reserves, and to take their consent,” State chief wildlife warden Digvijay Singh Khati told The Hindu .

State has 2 reserves

Uttarakhand now has two tiger reserves – the Corbett Tiger Reserve and the Rajaji Tiger Reserve. According to the tiger census data released in 2015, Uttarakhand has 340 tigers making it a State with the second highest tiger population in the country after Karnataka.

“With the two new tiger reserves, Uttarakhand, would become the first State in North India to get four tiger reserves,” Mr. Khati said.